The Orthodox Church of Agios Mattheos (St. Matthew) of Sinai was built in 1508 on the ruins of an earlier Byzantine church. This was the main Christian temple after the conquest of Crete by the Turks, as the Turks converted the monastery of Agia Aikaterini of Sinai to a mosque.
The building operated as a nunnery (Monasterio Greco Madonna Acrotiriani) during the Venetian Era (17th century) and was a dependency of the monastery of Panagia Akrotiriani Toplou by Sitia. A document of 1671 states that the main temple was dedicated to St. John the Theologian, while there was another church dedicated to St. Peter.
The Virgin Mary of the Crusaders (Crosecchieri) on what is now Markou Moussourou St. was part of the Latin rite Capuchin Monastery. The church was surrounded by monastery buildings and guest rooms for pilgrims and visitors on their way to the Holy Land.
The Church of Saint Demetrius near the Venetian harbor of Heraklion is built on the site of an older church of St. Demetrius, who was the patron saint of the carpenters of Heraklion during the Venetian era (every profession then had its patron saint!). The only surviving part of the initial church is a part of frescoes inside the sanctuary.
The church of Saint Onuphrius is located in the central market of Heraklion and is completely unknown as it is trapped by various shops of the streets 1866, Tsikritzi and Evans. Today one can see its dome from the market of 1866 street or the roofs of the adjacent buildings, while access to the interior of the church is only possible through Toulis bakery.
- 1
- 2
